Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a control system for railway power conditioner and particularly to a control system for railway power conditioner suitable for a broad range of railway feeder sections.
Description of Related Art
A railway power conditioner carries out power conversion according to the traveling status of a train supplied with power from a railway feeder thereof. The traveling status of the train (traveling modes) includes a power running mode in which electric power is consumed to accelerate the train body, a regenerative mode in which kinetic energy is returned to electric energy when the train body is decelerated, and coasting and stop modes in which neither power running nor regeneration is carried out. Of these traveling modes, in the power running mode and the regenerative mode, the railway power conditioner executes transfer of electric power between the feeder and the train.
The feeder is supplied with electric power from a power grid (charging system of railway substation).
As techniques for optimizing the amount of power on a railway feeder using a power conditioner, for example, Japanese Patent No. 4,267,132 and “Review on measurement and effective use of train regenerative power on Joban Line,” the Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan, Technical Society D, National Convention Record, Aug. 31, 2009, are known.
In short, in the conventional facilities, the transfer of electric power generated on the feeders between the two railway substations is adjusted by the power conditioner in the section post. These facilities and control technique are specified only for this section.
With a configuration in the related art, a target section is limited only to the section between a section post and a railway substation and there is a possibility that the opportunity of power interchange using the power conditioner may be limited. If this opportunity is limited, there is a problem that the effect of minimizing the amount of power consumed, which is the original purpose, is limited, too.
The section length of the feeders between the two railway substations is normally about several ten km. However, actual rails are often longer than that. Therefore, it is preferable to perform comprehensive control. For example, from a more comprehensive perspective, power interchange using a power conditioner, including power consumption by the substation inner loads, may be considered. Also, power interchange using a power conditioner with respect to other feeder sections that extend further may be considered.
Power interchange using a power conditioner is effective when one train operates in the power running mode while the other train operates in the regenerative mode. The duration of the time when multiple trains are on the rails within limited sections of the feeders, with one of the trains operating in the power running mode and with the other operating in the regenerative mode, is not very long. However, if the other feeder sections that extend further are included, it can be considered that the number of trains on the rails increases and that the duration of the time when there is a combination of trains, with one train operating in the power running mode and the other operating in the regenerative mode, becomes longer. Therefore, efficient operation can be expected.